Nuit Fatale
by bexie25
Summary: Second in Fatale series. 100 years after the epilogue of Femme Fatale, things have changed in Volterra. But vampires have long, unforgiving memories and the desire for revenge is ever-present when all you love was torn from you by those who thirsted for power. As the Volturi prepares for war, betrayal, history itself, and an old enemy threatens the safety and lives of the Volturi.
1. Life is Good

**Hello everyone!**

**Took a while, but I'm finally back with the sequel to Femme Fatale. :) This one's set one hundred years after the epilogue (so Edward and Bella have been together for 150 years). **

**The banner to this story can be found here: s1108 dot photobucket dot com/user/bexie25/media/Banners%20for%20Stories/nui tfatalebanner3_ zps456b027b dot jpg dot html or in my FF facebook group (called Bexie25 Fanfics. Link: facebook dot com/groups/327932867322639/)**

**This story is being beta'd by the amazing Dawning Juliet. It is purely because of her amazing-ness and quick work that you're even seeing/reading this chapter today.**

**Speaking of, this chapter is quite short: just under 1,600 words. However, these chapters will get to be as long as the chapters Femme Fatale were... so, about 2000 words. :) The story is 20 chapters in total, and completely planned, but not yet written.**

**And, of course, as my updating schedule signifies, it will be updated once every two weeks on a Wednesday, just as Femme Fatale was... **

**So, with nothing else to say, please enjoy and I'll see you down the bottom!**

**Oh, and, uh, warning... lemon ahead. ;)**

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**100 years later…**

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The screams of the man I had just backhanded for the thirty-seventh time annoyed me. The man was a pathetic little mouse. Missing only an arm, and he was already bawling his eyes out. Or, you know, he would have been, had he been able to cry.

"Do I even need to tell you how serious your actions are?" I spat, standing over him. The little wimp just sat there, quivering and wide eyed. _Ridiculous. _If I were faced with the leaders of my kind, I would plot ways to take the power from them, work out the best way to achieve my goal of killing them off, obtaining power and staying injury-free.

And I had done so before.

Then again, I was born during the time of Ancient Rome; this idiot was barely a toddler compared to me. He was also disadvantaged by the times _he_ was born in; the people of the twenty-first century—which had now passed into the twenty-second—had it easy compared to those of my time.

"No, you do not," the man whimpered. I raised an eyebrow and sighed, exchanging a look with my brothers. I was not going to dwell on this anymore. I had much more interesting things to do.

_Hmm…_ I thought, dwelling on that fact as I looked over at my mate and husband. He was staring at me, eyes black, hands clenched into fists. I smirked and licked my lips, my smirk growing as he growled under his breath.

"Enough of this," I said, my boredom and dismissal of the situation evident in my tone. "Felix, Demetri." I gave them a nod, already making my way over to Edward as they walked forward. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed me quickly. We were already out of the room and flying up the stairs when the telling sounds of the pathetic excuse for a vampire's death rung throughout the castle.

A lot had changed in the one hundred and fifty years since I had met my mate. There was, of course, the unsurprising: new members of the guard, lost members of the guard. Rosalie had been changed for her Emmett one hundred and thirty years ago. And plenty of new receptionists—with Edward now in the game, we found ourselves needing a new receptionist often. He'd just taken the last one, in fact. It had been Caius' turn, and he was most upset, but I couldn't care less. My Edward shared it with me in our bed—an early wedding anniversary gift.

_My sweet man, _I thought to myself, running my hand up and down his clothed chest. _Always spoiling me._

I was brought out of my thoughts when Edward slammed me against the wall just inside the door into our chambers. He was pressed up against me; his hard cock throbbed against my abdomen as he pulled my arms up over my head, and with his hands clasped around my wrists, he took control of me.

And I relinquished myself completely—only ever to him.

Edward ran his nose against the left side of my jaw, using his tongue down the other side. He sucked on my chin and then moved up to my lips, staring at them hungrily, licking his own before, with a growl, he slammed his lips down on mine. The kiss was hard, passionate and fueled with need. I smiled into it; this was the reason I always had him with me when we punished and killed offenders—it made him so fucking hot to see me like that, and then he'd take control of me in the best, most delicious way possible right afterwards.

One of Edward's hands let go of my wrist, and he slithered it down my arm to the swell of my breast. As he cupped it and puckered my nipple, toying with it until it was rock-hard, he grabbed the wrist that was now free and held both in the one hand as he leaned further into me.

He leaned back, breaking off the kiss, and pressed his forehead against mine for a moment as we both panted. It wasn't out of need, necessarily, more just from the amount of lust that seemed to encapsulate us.

"I wonder," he breathed against my lips. I looked into his eyes, which were black and full of mirth, love, and a promise of sex. He leaned in and kissed me with bruising force before he leaned back, his lips millimeters away from mine. "Would you punish me if I was bad?"

I smirked and leaned against him, trying to press my body closer to him. He growled, and raised an eyebrow as he pushed his hips into mine, pressing me against the wall, trapping me. He clucked his tongue and growled, "My naughty, sinful wife," under his breath and waited for me to answer, falling silent again.

"I already have," I whispered, cocking my head to the side slightly. "Don't you remember? When you killed that receptionist because he looked at me?" I licked my lips and leaned in, whispering against his lips in a purr, "That was _very_ bad."

He growled, his hands palming my ass before he squeezed it. His eyes growing blacker were the only indication that he'd even heard my last comment. "That's not all he did," he grunted possessively, his hands flashing to my hips as he gripped them and rubbed himself against me.

"Hmm," I purred. I rubbed my nose against his, and licked down his jaw to his lips. "But I punished you long and good and hard anyway."

He growled, his nostrils flaring as a snarl built up in his chest, and I knew I'd finally pushed him over the edge. Wordlessly, he ripped off my dress, and my head flew back as he went to town, his hands wandering over my skin as he played my body like a piano or something. He knew just what to do to drive me crazy, and part of me registered that he was punishing me.

And that just about drove me over the edge as his hand cupped my pussy possessively, his teeth nipping at my neck. He ran his tongue over the mark he'd left on my neck for the world to see, making me whimper and squirm in his arms before he moved down to the identical one on the swell of my breast. His hand moved to my other breast then and, as he sucked and licked his second mark that was only for him, he played with the nipple of my other breast.

His ministrations, of course, went straight to my core, and I bucked into him, grabbing his hair in my hands and pushing him into me further. He purred as he smelled and felt my need for him, and the vibrations reverberated through my body, making me whine and growl as I tried to wrap my legs around his hips. He kissed me sweetly, letting go of my wrists to help me bring my legs up to wrap around him properly. I purred happily when I felt him against me, right at my entrance, and I licked the corner of his mouth and nipped his lips…

… before I choked on my own venom when he slammed into me unexpectedly.

I screamed before I could help myself, and Edward growled as he wrenched his length back out before slamming into me again, driving up into me over and over as he fucked me with punishing force against the wall. The plaster cracked behind us within the first few seconds, and he growled before turning to the right. We fell to the floor and he pinned me against it, the force and pace of his thrusts unrelenting as he moved my legs from my waist to hang over his shoulders.

I screamed and thrashed and growled and moaned as he fucked me within an inch of my existence. I couldn't contain myself, and before I knew it, I felt myself spasm around him, my back arching and pressing me closer to him, forcing him deeper inside me as I dove into my first orgasm of the night.

He didn't relent. He simply picked me up and walked me through our chambers to the lounge in the living room near the bedroom. He turned me around on his cock and I bent at the waist, gripping the back of the plush sofa as he pulled back and drove back into me. I whimpered, my legs failing me; he just went so much deeper and it felt so good and I was so fucking sensitive.

"Edward!" I screamed as he wrapped my arms around my waist and laid his chest over me, growling against me at the same time that the tips of his fingers started teasing my clit. My legs quaked as I climaxed again within two minutes of the first time, and yet, still, he did not stop.

It was only after I was beyond satisfied and too sensitive to bear it that I begged him to come inside me. With a feral growl that had me going again as the vibrations did something to my body and his cock inside me, pummeling me, he roared through his climax, pumping three more times.

I vaguely heard the crack as the lounge broke under my hold and we collapsed to the ground, panting. I curled up against him and we chuckled at the destruction we'd caused.

Yes, life was good.

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**:)**

**How was that? Worth waiting for? I hope so.**

**Now, for me, sequels don't generally do as well as the first story, so I'm hoping this will be where we see that turn around! **

**Please review and I thank you for joining me...**

**See you on the 24th...**

**bexie25**


	2. Anniversary

**Hello!**

**Sorry this is a week late; I got tonsillitis two weeks ago as a result of a viral infection. But I'm now nearly completely better and I was finally able to write this out and get it off to Dawning Juliet, who had it back in my inbox quick-smart! ;)**

**Anyway, there's not really much to say this time around. The ladies on FB were treated to a few pics for the story/chapter, which you can find on my photobucket... here:**

s1108 dot photobucket dot com/user/bexie25/media/Femme%20Fatale/aaaaaaaaaaaa edwardandbellavampire_zps968bba2a dot jpg dot html?sort=3&o=9

**So, yeah. After checking those two pics out... enjoy! :)**

**Thanks and I'll see you down the bottom!**

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My eyes connected with Edward's as he stood behind me, his eyes midnight black and glinting as he watched me dress. I smiled at him, and he growled under his breath, making my smile turn into a smirk as I looked down at my plunging cleavage and moved my hair to cover a fair amount of it before turning around.

"Edward, darling?" I called softly, my arms at my side.

His head instantly snapped around. He swallowed, his eyes wandering over my body. He licked his lips as his eyes finally found mine, reverence and utter love shining within them. "Perfect," he whispered, and I smiled.

"Thank you, my dear," I told him, walking to stand in front of him.

His eyes were riveted to my breasts as I glided to his side. I cupped his jaw in my hand, my fingers rubbing just enough to make him purr and lean into my touch.

"You are a vision, my love," he whispered, eyes still on my breasts before he slowly looked up and met my eyes once again. "It will be hard to control myself tonight."

"In a good way?" I asked him. I wanted to be sure he wouldn't be uncomfortable with the males in the room. I wanted to make sure that I was clothed to _his _satisfaction, that everything was all right. I knew he hated it when I showed too much cleavage, and I was quite sure that this was acceptable as long as my hair stayed where I had just put it. I only wanted to make sure.

He smiled up at me wickedly, his eyes full of promise. "Hmm," he hummed, leaning in and gliding his nose against the column of my throat and my collarbone. My breath caught in my throat, and my eyes closed, lips parting as he placed a line of wet, open-mouthed kisses to the base of my neck before he leaned back. "In a _very _good way, my sin," he purred, and I smiled. I loved it when he called me that.

And it also told me all I needed to know, answering my question without my needing to ask it outright in the first place.

"Good," I purred, turning around. I walked to our closet and retrieved my high heeled shoes, stepping into them. I stood back up straight and turned, only for Edward to be right there in front of me.

I looked at him questioningly.

He smiled softly and took my hand, pulling me over to the bed. "Come, my love. I have something for you."

I smiled. I also had something for him, but that would have to wait until after this absurd celebration my brothers insisted on throwing us. Never mind the fact that they never had one of these events.

All I could be thankful for was the fact that Edward and I had been able to hold them off from making the festivities public; the last thing I wanted was for this event to include other vampires from around the world.

We could do that for our two hundredth anniversary, Edward and I had bargained. Fortunately, my brothers relented.

By now, Edward had me sitting on the bed beside him, our bodies inclined toward each other. I looked at him for a moment before looking down, and I smiled at the velvet box that was in his hand. It was larger than one that held a ring, so my guess was a necklace.

"I love you, Isabella," Edward whispered, and I looked up from the box and into his eyes, which were intent on my face.

He smiled softly, lovingly, as our eyes met.

"I had great difficulty in finding you a present, originally," Edward told me, reaching for my hand. I purred as our skin touched, the electricity of our connection flowing and humming through our bodies. "I was sure of what I wanted, but no matter how many people I asked to create it, no one could perfect it. What they created simply did not seem to suit you, my darling."

He looked back up at me then. "Do you remember that trip to Venice?"

I frowned briefly. "Last month?"

He nodded with a small smile. "That time, yes."

I smiled. "Of course I do," I purred softly, looking into his eyes as memories flashed through my mind like a video. "It was amazing, my husband."

"Yes, it was," he said, leaning forward and running his lips along my collarbone. "Hmm," he hummed against my skin, and I shivered, my breath hitching. He was smirking when he leaned back again. "Well, it was during one of your hunts when I was in the city that I found exactly what I was looking for. My eyes were drawn to a magnificent piece—it was by no means simple, the pattern formed by the jewels, intricate, and, well, I think you shall see for yourself why else it was perfect…" he said softly, and we both looked down as he opened the box.

I gasped, my eyes flashing to Edward's smiling face. It was, indeed, perfect; the heart-shaped necklace was gorgeous, the black background of the heart making the intricate pattern formed by both diamond and silver, along with the thin chain and the base of the heart stand out. Even more, it was a true representative of not only me, but the love my husband and I shared.

It was beautiful. It was elaborate. It was strong.

I knew instantly why he had picked it.

My blackened eyes met his as I purred low in my chest. My arms slunk up his to wind around his neck as I launched myself at him, throwing myself into his lap and my lips onto his. He growled into the kiss, his hands groping my flesh as he gripped first my ass then my hips before he flattened his palms against my skin and glided them up to my chest.

"Isabella," he moaned, and my name rolled of his tongue in a caress.

I groaned his name in return, my hands fisting his already messy hair. "We have to go," I moaned mournfully, my hold on his hair tightening as he wrapped his arms around my waist and held me fast to him.

Edward growled low against my mouth. "You are right," he murmured. "All right, all right, Alice!" he hissed toward the door a moment later, ripping me from my position over him. "Insistent little pixie..." he muttered, and I chuckled as he pulled me along with him toward the door.

And sure enough, when it opened, there Alice stood.

"It is a wonder we have not fired you yet," Edward muttered with a raised eyebrow as we walked down the hall alongside Alice. "Irritable little thing."

Alice laughed as I smiled; we were well-versed on the ways of my mate. "Oh, I know, Edward. I count my blessings, but I am sure there are only two reasons why I am here."

"Oh?" I interjected.

She smirked. "I am far too valuable to the Volturi, as is my husband, and I am also a friend of yours."

Edward huffed petulantly. "A source of entertainment is more like it."

I purred and bit his jaw, rubbing my hand against his chest. "Don't be like that, darling, there is plenty of what we were doing in store for you later." I winked at him and he growled, his hand flashing to my ass and squeezing.

I moaned.

"Don't remind me," he hissed in my ear, biting the lobe, and I moaned again, licking my lips.

Alice chuckled and shook her head, veering to the left just as we made it to the door. "I shall see you both later."

"You are not joining us?" I asked with a slight frown on my face.

She smiled at us. "I was merely sent to procure you from your chambers at Master Aro's request. I was to deposit you here. I have done so, and I am now on my way home. I bid you goodbye for now. Enjoy." She turned and was off in a blink.

I moved to open the doors only for Edward to pull me back against him.

"What?" I asked, turning in his arms.

He frowned and looked down at me. "There is no one inside. I cannot hear Aro's, Caius' or Marcus' thoughts at all. Nor their mates," he whispered.

I frowned as well before I smiled. "My dear husband, I do believe they have prepared something for the two of us on the other side of these doors," I said, gesturing toward the doors in question.

His disgruntled and confused frown melted into a smile. "Well, then, Mrs. Masen, shall we?"

"Hmm, we shall," I purred with a smile.

The door opened to reveal a beautiful room with a stereo and most of the floor bare for us to dance, except for a small section that seemed to have been transformed into a sanctuary of pillows and silk sheets. The lights were heavily dimmed, which only made the difference of softer tones and shadows. It was all very romantic, and Edward reached straight for the remote control of the stereo. When he turned it on and pressed play, it was not what we were expecting.

Sweet, soft notes of Edward's best compositions drifted through the room, and as my mate's arms encircled my waist, pulling me against him, I sighed. I relinquished control of myself to him, the only being that would receive this. As we danced and made love, Edward took the gift that he considered me to be and treasured me. He was tender—we both were. It was one of those rare moments in which we were sweet and slow and tender, though I supposed it was because this was such a raw, emotional time for the both of us.

"Happy anniversary, my love," I whispered against Edward's lips as he held me.

His lips curved up into a smile, and he rubbed his nose against my jaw. "Happy anniversary, my Isabella," he whispered back.

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**I know, another short one, but I wanted to get this out and this was the whole plan I had for the chapter. See you in two weeks – it would be one but I have a BUSY next week coming so I won't be able to update anything that isn't pre-written RIGHT NOW until the week following.**

**Please review**

**bexie25**


	3. Mission

**Hello everyone,**

**Here's the next chapter - chapter 3 - of Nuit Fatale. This chapter was really easy to write as I'd already written a part of it before I started writing this story, back when I was still in the planning stage. :) **

**Thanks to everyone that has reviewed this story. :) I'm really glad that you are as excited for this story as I am. **

**And a special thanks to Dawning Juliet for getting this back to me within 12 hours. That was crazy, and she is amazing! **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The next week was lovely. It was customary for a mated couple to take some time for themselves on special occasions, such as the anniversary of a mating, a meeting, or a wedding, were the couple bound in such a way. This extended to us, of course, and my brothers had done all they could to make sure we would have as much time as we could.

Unfortunately, they could not give us the amount of time we had desired, though that really didn't come as such a shock. Just a week later, I was called into a meeting about a mob of nomads who had not been following our rules.

It was just the four of us—my brothers and me. I dressed for the meeting appropriately in one of my black dresses that reached the floor, though I made sure to grab a shawl. While I maintained the style I'd had before meeting my Edward, I was now conscious of how he felt; if it were too revealing for his taste, it was, without question, removed and replaced immediately with something more satisfactory and conservative.

Edward purred with approval when I turned around to show him, but he made no move to get up from our bed. I smiled and flashed to stand over him, quickly reaching down to kiss him. His purr turned into a growl and he tried to pull me back onto the bed, but I chuckled and pulled back.

"I shall be back as soon as I can," I told him softly.

"I want a full report," he said with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course," I answered, kissing him fully once more before I dashed out of the room.

"Tease," I heard my mate mutter just as I reached the door to our chambers, and I laughed as I closed it behind me.

"_Your_ tease," I muttered back, smiling at the hum he released.

At a leisurely pace, I walked down the hall and into the farther wing of the castle. Our home was quite large, so it took me a few minutes, but, then again, I would have been there in the bat of an eyelash if I were traveling at natural speed.

The door was opened for me upon arrival, and I nodded at the no-name guard. He was very low in the ranks, wearing a cream, hooded cape. The only reason he was allowed outside the door when we were holding a meeting such as this one was because the walls of this room were vampire-hearing soundproof—as were many rooms' walls within our castle.

"Brothers," I said as I sat in my armchair. I settled into it and looked at the three around me. We were sitting in our usual position, our chairs in a square formation.

"Isabella," they said, and I would have laughed if this were not such a serious occasion, for they had said my name in perfect unison.

"The reason for this meeting, exactly?"

Marcus sighed. "A problem has developed in France. A nomad coven of four—two mated pairs—has been causing trouble."

I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head to the side, inclining it toward him. "And that trouble would be?"

Caius sneered. "They've exposed themselves to humans."

I growled under my breath. The imbeciles of today; honestly, how hard was it to keep our most valued secret? "How?" I demanded, turning my head toward Aro.

He looked somewhere between bored and excited, an odd combination for some—hell, for most—but not for my dear brother Aro. "It would appear that they were careless during hunting sessions. They left the bodies of their kills in broad daylight, and abandoned a human they changed…"

"Let us not forget that they gained an audience during one of their hunts," Caius hissed.

Again, I growled. I pinched the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger, clenching my eyes closed as I forced myself to breathe in and out evenly to calm myself. "So, what is our plan of action?"

"We go there, of course," Marcus said, his tone bored and dull, "seek them out and we eliminate."

"Simple," Aro said, receiving a nod from Marcus, but a short huff of disapproval from Caius. This I picked up on and questioned.

"What is bothering you, Caius?" I asked.

He grimaced, though it looked somewhat like a sneer, his top lip pulled back over his teeth. "It is not so simple. The coven keeps moving further toward the Middle East. Of course they know we will seek them out, and so they are moving toward the sun to make it harder for us."

"So we leave tomorrow," I stated, though I frowned slightly at the thought. Edward would most certainly not be coming with us, and I hated to be without him. My brothers all protested, feeling the same as I did, but I raised an eyebrow to silence them. "We _will _leave tomorrow; the sooner we leave, the sooner we are able to return, for they will have less time to advance into areas that leave us with little options."

Caius snarled, but nodded roughly after a moment, storming out of the room and, presumably, to his chambers. Marcus sighed, his leaving quieter and much less dramatic as he slipped from the room quickly without an utterance. As for Aro, well, he stayed for a moment longer. We looked at each other before he nodded, relenting, and left the room.

I, too, left and rushed toward my own chambers, my mind reluctant as I mulled over what I had to tell Edward.

When I reached the chambers, Edward was standing there. He frowned when he took in my appearance, and I smiled softly, speeding into his arms.

"How would you feel about taking a walk through the gardens?" I asked softly after a moment of quiet embrace.

He smiled and nodded. "I would like that," he said, but one look into his eyes and I knew he was nervous and could see right through me. I sighed, but said nothing, letting my expression convey that I would tell him once we were in the garden.

He took my arm in his, and we walked out slowly, stepping into an easy human pace. Edward's arm moved after a while to wrap around my waist before he finally settled, not relinquishing his hold on me again.

Slowly, we walked through the grounds. We regarded the flower patches on either side of us with little thought; I knew our minds were both on the conversation to come. Eventually, we reached the edge, and Edward pulled me over to a small seating area. He sat down and pulled me onto his lap.

"What was the meeting about?" he asked, and I blinked.

I glanced at him, and my suspicions were proven correct. Edward was only ever so blunt when he was very, very nervous and impatient. I realized quickly that this silence between us had been even more torture for him than it had for me; he was in the dark, where I knew what was to happen.

And if there was anything a vampire hated, especially when it came to their mates, it was to be kept in the dark. My past reactions to what Alice had told me that fateful day were simple, first-hand proof of that.

"My brothers and I are required to go on a mission," I started, my hand moving to cup his cheek. I did not give him a chance to reply as I continued, though his eyes widened into the size of saucers, and a low growl was now slowly building in his chest. "We leave tomorrow. We shall not be gone long, but there is a matter that we need to attend to. And no, my darling, you cannot come."

Edward growled, and, in the blink of an eye, we were no long seated; I was in Edward's arms as he ran us toward the castle. Very soon, as Edward was still the fastest of anyone here, I realized where we were going.

Edward raced down the hall, and as soon as we were in the chambers, he turned around to face me as the door swung closed. I frowned as I watched him, and when I caught his eye, I instantly knew that something was very wrong; he was taking this worse than I had initially thought he would.

"Darling, what is it?" I asked softly, flitting to him. I took his hand in mine, and he sighed, looking down at our hands before he cupped my jaw. "Tell me, my love."

"I don't like it, Isabella," he whispered. "I don't want you to leave on this mission."

My frown deepened. "Edward, love, you know I have to. I—"

He cut me off, shaking his head fiercely. His hands gripped me tightly and he tugged me toward him, engulfing me in his arms. "I have a bad feeling about this expedition. I can't explain it… I just… I do not feel comfortable with you leaving. More so, I loathe the thought of distance between us and this… this is intercontinental. You will be halfway across the world, facing some coven of rogues! I—" he cut off, pulling back to look at me again. "Can I really not go with you?"

I swallowed, sighing as I looked down and away. "Edward…"

"Please," he whispered hoarsely, and I closed my eyes, hating the desperation I could hear clear as day in his voice. "Please, Isabella, do not ask me to allow you to distance yourself from me. Do not ask me to condone this expedition when you could be risking your life!" His voice grew quickly in volume, the last few words coming out in a roar.

"I'm sorry, my darling," I told him, my tone soft, yet firm in my resolve. "But you cannot go, and if you allow me to do so, I will tell you why."

He sighed and nodded, running a hand through his hair as he sat down on a chair near the window. I approached him and sat down across from him, but he shook his head and pulled me closer to sit on his lap. I smiled and placed my hands against his chest to brace myself.

"We used to allow Athenodora, Suplicia, and Didyme to come with us on these sorts of things," I began. "Though I was not mated yet, I knew my brothers were extremely uneasy when they were away from their mates. It caused them to become less rational, I believe, and most certainly less tolerant. Both qualities are important during these meetings, as that is what we base our decisions on."

I sighed and looked away, outside over the gardens we had just walked through before I let my eyes wander to the far trees in the distance. "On one particular mission, we were in pursuit of a running clan. The leader's mate had broken a law, and so we were determined to kill her. The male was, of course, reacting the way any vampire mate would, and decided to run and protect her. Our minds were focused on getting the task done, on exacting justice, and then returning home."

I turned to look at Edward. "You must understand, this was before we had Renata; we were terribly exposed. We were so thoroughly enthralled in our tracking that we were not as careful as we should have been. We were ambushed, and though we managed to defend ourselves in the attack and kill our opponents, Didyme was not as successful—she was nearly killed, and Athenodora and Sulpicia were seriously injured. All three of my brothers were bitten as they had dropped their guard when their mates were hurt.

"It was never written, and so it is not concrete, but from then on, we have refused to allow our mates to come with us. It was too dangerous, and if it came to a fight, we would be too distracted; it is a disadvantage. More so, we cannot bear the thought of something happening to any of you," I said, looking at Edward as I said this. He was quiet, thoughtful, as he regarded me. "As the leaders of our kind, we must do everything we can in order to protect you. I know my brothers thought briefly of locking their own mates in a tower, and they would have done so had their mates not caught wind of the idea and given them one hell of a beating for even considering it."

I chuckled at the memory; that sure had been amusing, even though I was also now considering it. But I shook my head of that idea, knowing Edward would never be able to stand it, and I was much too selfish to do so.

"All right," Edward whispered, pulling me from my thoughts. I blinked and looked down at him. He sighed. "I won't go. But you will stay in contact with me; let me know where you are. And I have a few other conditions as—"

I cut him off with my lips, kissing him feverishly.

"Those can be discussed later," I purred before attacking him again.

And with that, Edward agreed without arguing.

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**So, yeah... and yeah. That'll be happening next chapter, which MAY be updating in two weeks. I'm not sure as I have exams in two weeks, and I don't really want to try and update. But alas, I'll probably write the chapter beforehand, sometime next week. :)**

**Please review**

**bexie25**


	4. Elimination

**Hello**

**I apologise for not being able to get this to you before my exams; truth is, I hadn't even started it. I am currently explaining a little trouble writing - not writers block exactly, but a lesser version of it. Needless to say, this took me three writing 'sessions' to complete. And it's unbeta'd. I will replace this chapter with the beta'd one as soon as I get it back from my beta; I just didn't want this to be late considering it's now four weeks since my last update.**

**I hope you like and review this chapter; reviews for this story decline each chapter and though people are reading, I would like to hear your thoughts on a chapter - even if it's just a smiley face. :)**

**Thanks and I shall see you down the bottom!**

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Edward's lips brushed down the slope of my back as the sun set the next day. I was leaving in a matter of hours, and that knowledge had the both of us on edge and desperate.

Edward, more so.

"My darling, I have to get ready," I whispered, closing my eyes in bliss as his lips descended upon the small of my back. His wet kiss felt amazing as the wind from the open window floods my skin.

Edward growled low in his throat, and in the blink of an eye, he had me pinned to the mattress. "Not yet," he growled in my ear.

I opened one eye and arched an eyebrow as I stared at him. He was tense, his eyes black and boring into mine. His shoulders hunched up and his chest vibrated against my back as his hands snaked to my hands, making his front sink further against my back. He trapped me against the mattress as he clenched his hands over mine. "You will stay here until I am finished with you, Isabella."

His nose rubbed done from my ear as he spoke, tracing, inhaling and exhaling, the skin of my cheek and down to my neck. He was marking me. It was not the first time he'd had to do so, but it was the first time that he was so hell-bent on doing it so thoroughly.

I was already bathed in his scent, but the hostile, possessive mate within him demanded more. He was trying to make sure it would last the whole time I was away.

Plus, in vampire culture, the marking of a mate was a warning and threat against others; it meant that if you were such an idiot as to threaten the mate, their counterpart would know and would be after you. In extreme cases of death, they are also warned that their mate will come for them – the need for revenge before their own demise paramount, making them uncontrollable, relentless… deadly.

Add that to the fact that I happened to be a leader of the Volturi, and… well, it was pointless anyway as no one would dream of doing so. News of my mate had flooded to every corner of the world last century; they knew of his deadliness, of his cunning nature.

But then again, I had marked him already… and he wasn't even going to leave our chambers. None of our mates ever did; it calmed them significantly to be near our scent when we were away on business.

So, yes, I understood.

But I had responsibilities that I must follow through.

I didn't stop, however, as he relinquished his hold on my hands, sliding further down my body. Instead, I closed my eyes and drowned in my mate.

**~O~**

"Are Alice and Jasper ready? Are they here?" I asked my mate as he watched me dress. He was laying on the bed, his midnight eyes sending just a hint of a 'come hither' look. I smirked at him in the mirror before closing the wardrobe and spinning around.

Edward was there in an instant. His hands lingered on my skin, moving constantly, as he leaned in and kissed and nibbled at my lips.

I moaned breathily when he finally stopped teasing me, only to lean back.

"Edward, answer me, my love," I said. "This was your condition anyway, was it not—that they accompany me?"

Originally, we had thought to bring Jane, Alec and Demitri. But Edward had insisted upon Jasper and Alice going as well, and I knew he trusted only them with my life. I was the same. It was his only condition—well, that and technological contact whenever possible—and I was more than happy to grant it; if it made him feel better about things, then why not? Plus, I would feel the same and demand the same were I in his place.

He frowned, exhaling harshly as he let me go. "They are here, yes."

I nodded. "Good."

I turned to leave as Edward's arm snaked around my waist. He pulled me against him and I smiled and looked up at him over my shoulder. Spinning around, I threaded my fingers through his hair and kissed him soundly. He was eager and moaning as he kissed me back, his tongue playing on my lip before I opened up to him.

"Go now," he panted, letting me go. "If you don't, I won't let you."

I looked down for a moment before kissing him once more. "I will call you in a few hours, my love."

He nodded once stonily, solemnly, his face slipping into an emotionless mask. I, too, allowed myself to change as I walked to the door.

I ached to run back into his arms.

"Isabella?" he called just as my fingers curled around the door handle. I turned to look at him expectantly. "Do not make any stops along the way, and be back as soon as you can."

I nodded. "I love you."

He cracked a smile. "I love you, too. Now… go."

**~O~**

True to my word, we did not make one stop along the way. I was pleasantly surprised to find that we had cut down the time it would take to find and conquer them.

I turned to Caius with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "Do you see why I demanded we leave so soon now brother?"

He growled under his breath, his face a sneer of indignation as he looked away and said nothing. I chuckled heartily; my dear blond brother hated being wrong.

"Hush," Aro said in a whisper, "we have reached them." He gestured into the distance and we all turned to look where he was pointing. Sure enough, he was correct; four vampires ran in the distance, paired off with their own mates as they ran amongst the trees. Further ahead was a city; they were no doubt going to find their next victims there.

"Hm," I said vaguely. "Should we approach and speak, or simply eliminate?"

Caius huffed. "Let it be done quickly, I have had enough," he gritted out, his top lip curled over his teeth. "We have evidence of their crimes; we do not need to trial them."

"You are impulsive, brother," Marcus responded, his voice even and a sea of calm. "But I do agree; though we gained on them in leaving so early," he smirked at me, "they did venture quite far and I do not wish to be so far from Italy for an extended period of time."

"Agreed," Aro, Caius and I said in unison.

We ran a little further after them, using our age against the young ones. It was not to their knowledge, but the older a vampire became, the faster they were able to run, as all other attributes were enhanced. I could only imagine Edward in a few millennia.

We stopped just as they reached the city. My head snapped around to the others. "Alec," I commanded silently.

Immediately, his mist seeped forth into the depths of darkness and forest that lay before us. It spread quickly, reaching the four in just half a second. They stopped immediately, and I nodded for Jasper, Jane, Alec and Alice to come forth. In seconds, the metal screech and consequent thud of four bodies falling forward resounded through the otherwise quiet forest.

I smiled to myself as I watched them build a fire. Thirty seconds later, a pillar of smoke rose through the trees. I took a deep breath, relishing in the smell of venom and death.

My brothers and I turned around and walked away from the bodies, leaning Jasper and Alice to clean up. During these missions, for obvious reasons, we did not allow Alec and Jane to leave our sides. That way, if we were attacked, they could incapacitate before anything serious happened; for that reason, they were two of our most valued guards.

"I am guessing we shall be back in Volterra by tomorrow morning?" I asked my brothers as we walked back into the safety of the forest. I felt my desire for speed rise the further we got from the city and I could sense the same in my brothers.

"Yes, that is right," Aro mused with a grin. The others expressions were of similar happiness.

I smirked and reached into the concealed pocket of my dress. My fingers clenched around my phone and I pulled it out, my fingers a blur as I brought up my contacts, landing immediately on Edward. I smiled as I looked down at the photo of my gorgeous husband and mate. I sighed softly to myself, a dull ache in my chest, which I swallowed back.

_Soon_, I thought to myself as I turned back to my dear brothers. They, too, had reached for their phones.

"Well then," I said with a smirk on my lips and a quirk of my brow. "I suppose I shall call Edward with the good news."

I sped up in want of privacy. Once I could not hear my brothers, I pressed call and lifted the phone to my ear.

Of course, Edward answered mid-first ring. "Isabella?"

I smiled serenely, nearly purring at the sound of my mate's voice; I had heard it only hours ago and it still felt far to long ago. I rubbed my chest before clenching my hand into a fist and smiling at the thought of a reunion with my mate that would be much sooner than planned. "Hmm, my love," I replied at that thought.

"Is everything all right?" he asked me, an edge to his voice that I did not like. "How is the chase?"

I chuckled. "Complete. We are on our way home, darling."

There was a second of silence, filled with shock. "What?" Edward asked, astonished.

"Mm-hmm," I hummed, licking my lips. "We will arrive at sunrise."

"But how?"

"In leaving when we did, we were able to catch up to them sooner than Alice was able to predict. We believe they must have stopped for a hunt along the way," I said, my mouth in a firm line at the thought that there could have been risk of further exposure. I shook myself from my thoughts; we had already sent members of the guard out to round up the people that had seen or heard anything. They would be our next meal. "Add to that our mutual consensus that we already had the evidence needed for a conviction, we decided a confrontation and trial was not needed. We simply eliminated them."

"Oh, baby," Edward growled and I swore I moaned. "You have no idea how much it pleases me to hear that. Just the thought of any more time spent away from you makes me feel that I will lose my mind."

"The feeling is mutual, my darling," I said, just as the sounds of my brothers behind me slowly filled my ears. "I must go, Edward; the next time we speak it shall be face-to-face."

"Oh, we won't be speaking, my sweet," Edward purred in my ear. I moaned.

"I do hope not," I said before innocently asking, "but whatever will we be doing?"

"Hmm..." Edward breathed, "I suppose I could give you a little clue..."

"What's that?" I whispered, and if my heart were beating, it would skip a beat at what he said next.

"If there _is_ any talk involved on your part, it will be you screaming and crying my name."

And then he hung up.

I swallowed and licked my lips, pulling the phone from my ear to look at it. I could not believe he had ended our call so abruptly.

_The _tease_! _I thought, a slight pout on my face.

And then I smirked because, well, two could play that game... and, oh, how I wanted to.

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**I think we all know what the next chapter entails... hm? *Smirk***

**Until then (two weeks exactly), see ya!**

**Please review - as I said above, it pleases me greatly to receive them as I love to know what you all think!**

**bexie25**


	5. Homecoming

**Hello everyone!**

**I am so sorry this is late. This chapter was actually longer than I thought it would be, however Bella decided to give you a little mini-lecture about the importance of scent to vampires in relation to mating.**

**A huge thanks to Dawning Juliet for betaing this for me. I gave her 24 hours, she got it back to me in around 2-3. *Shakes head* Amazing!**

**Nevertheless, here is the chapter and PLEASE review. :D**

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I was not one for outwardly displays of affection, but even I had my limits, and this distance between my mate and me had well and truly reached it. This had been the first time I had gone on one of these damn things since my Edward had arrived in Volterra desperate to end his life, and, if I had anything to say about it, it was going to be my last.

I had ended a call with Edward just a few minutes ago, and I could hear from the sound of his voice that he was at the end of his tether, just as I was. Were I not a vampire with so much class and dignity, I would have pouted and thrown a tantrum just like a child.

_The annoying little cretins they are._

"Brothers," I snapped as Aro crashed into my back, making me stumble slightly before I steadied myself. They were goofing along behind me as we ran, purposefully bumping into one another and occasionally into me. If that were not bad enough, they were also making obscene jokes and laughing so raucously I just knew that if their wives heard what they were saying—and I was contemplating telling them just for the sake of drama—they would be horrified.

Well, except, perhaps, for Didyme. She would just laugh and scold Marcus half-heartedly.

A small smile twitched on my lips before I clamped them together in a grim line. I turned around and took to running backwards at top speed as I faced the imbeciles. "Are you quite done? Need I remind you that some of us would like to be with their mates before dawn?" I particularly focused my glare on Caius, who seemed to be the troublemaker in this specific instance.

Caius was, to those outside of the family, very harsh and reserved. It was only really with us, and more so with his _beloved _Athenodora—note the sarcasm—that he was his true self: playful, personable, and utterly incorrigible.

Caius chuckled, a crooked smirk playing on his lips. He pouted dramatically and pressed a hand over his heart. "My dearest sister, I am so very sorry to be of such annoyance. But perhaps those who are so desperate that they cannot have fun should just run along ahead. Hmm?"

I growled, my lip curling up over my teeth before I turned and sped off. I sneered at the boisterous laughter of both Aro and Caius that sounded behind me, before I smirked at their dismay when Marcus sped off as well. I could hear him gaining on me, but paid him no mind.

I pushed myself faster as we made it to the gates of our city. Small though it was, it had been our home for nearly all of our years in power. Not that it really mattered, as I was hardly sentimental about it all, but it was still a very comforting place. I struggled to think of how we would fare did we not have such a reclusive and permanent abode.

My phone vibrated, and I knew it was Edward again, but I forced myself to ignore it. I was mere seconds away, and by the time the reply was sent, I would most likely be with him, already in the process of ripping his clothes off.

I licked my lips at the thought as it mingled with memories of doing just that. A purr built up in my chest, and I pushed myself faster.

There were no guards in sight as I approached the gate of our castle. I jumped over the wall, not caring for the extra second and a half it would take to climb the gate and unlock it for the others. Since they were so intent on their stupidity, they could do it their damn selves.

You could call it harsh, but I just called it delegating.

I barked out orders as soon as I walked through the doors, my dress billowing out behind me as I flew down the halls. Guards upon guards flurried away at the sound of my instructions, hastening to fulfill them. I smirked to myself as I finally made it to my chambers. There were no guards in sight or in immediate hearing distance.

I opened the door to our chambers and gasped as Edward immediately pushed me into it. I was ninety-nine percent sure that Edward had heard me through the door despite my speed due to his own ferocity alone.

"You're home," he breathed as he pushed his silk-covered hips and his naked chest into me, trapping me against the door. I swore I heard him mutter "finally" under his breath as his lips brushed against my cheek.

I hummed, licking my lips before pressing them against his for a moment. I moaned as he pried my lips apart with his tongue so he could push it into my mouth. Our tongues danced, stroking back and forth in a seductive circle of sorts as our hands roamed over each other.

With a growl, Edward ripped off my dress. He lifted me up and wrapped my legs around his waist, dragging me away from the door and further into our chambers. He raced through the living room and into our bedroom, flying through to the en suite. I knew why, of course, as soon as he turned on the shower. I was sure I smelled of lots of things, and not one of them was Edward.

Edward wanted only his scent on me, and I was all for that as a shower would enable me to smother him with my scent.

As Edward removed my bra and panties, I kicked off my high heels. We didn't even flinch at the sound of shattering glass as my shoes impacted with the mirror. Edward's hands wandered over my body, grasping at flesh, groping, tugging, pulling and rubbing as I rid him of his boxers.

I mewled as Edward's hands covered my breasts, his fingers twisting and tugging on the erect nipples. My head lolled back, and I moaned as he brushed his fingertips over them once before he leaned down and took the right one in his mouth. He sucked for one moment and pulled me into his arms, resuming our former position with my legs wrapped around his waist. He then switched to the other, and I twitched in his arms, my pussy throbbing, and I could not help but rub against his cock as it slid between my folds and nestled against my entrance.

"Now," I growled, latching onto Edward's throat. I sucked hard on the flesh of his jugular and purred at his growl and the hard thrust of his lips. Edward kissed up my chest, my neck, and my chin, making me whimper as he pressed an openmouthed kiss to the corner of my mouth.

"No," Edward muttered as he crashed his lips onto mine. He dominated the kiss, forcing his tongue into my mouth and stroking it along mine and the roof of my mouth. I could do nothing but sigh into his mouth and let him control me. He was the only one who ever would, and I loved every fucking second of it.

"Now," I whimpered as he circled his hips hard into mine, his cock bumping my clit a few times. I was throbbing, shaking, panting in need. I moaned a long line of curse words before finally panting out, "Please, please, please, please, _Edward_!"

"I can't deny you," he breathed and then he slammed into me with a grunt. I just about sobbed in relief, clinging to him as hard as I could. He set a hard and fast pace, pounding into me so hard that all I could do was cling and clamp down on him for all I was worth, a hand in his hair and the other on his lower back, pushing him even harder, faster, further into me.

In a flash, the shower water was on and we were under the spray. Edward hooked his arms under my knees, pulling my legs further apart and burrowing me into the wall of the shower, the water cascading down between and around us.

"Too long, Isabella," Edward said as he braced both hands on the tiled wall behind my back. "Two days is too. Fucking. Long."

"Yes," I moaned as he bent at the knees and stepped backward a little, angling my body to hit that sweet spot within me. I saw stars and tightened around him immediately.

He must have liked that, because he moaned, his head falling back as his thrusts became harder, faster. I purred and leaned forward, licking my lips as my eyes stayed riveted on his gorgeous fucking neck. I swallowed back excess venom and latched on. Openmouthed kisses and licks and flicks against his neck in circles had him going faster, a breathy moan rising in his throat.

But I wanted it louder.

So I bit down, moaning as I sunk my teeth into his pale flesh. I took drag after drag of his sweet, sweet venom before pushing just a little of my own.

As vampires, marking was at the height of our needs and wants. It expressed to everyone else in the world that we were taken and unavailable and completely owned by someone else who was marred by our own mark. Being the animalistic creatures we were, we also relied heavily on scent for everything—hunting, threat detection, and for finding mates. So it was only logical that we shared venom in order to mark them with our own scent as well.

There was nothing better, more satisfying, than the smell of oneself within their mate, the smell of one's own scent mingling with their beloved's own unique smell. For the marked mate, the smell of your mate's scent on you made you feel safe, loved, needed, wanted.

In moments of need and desire, it was an aphrodisiac.

I smiled into the bite as Edward's growl crescendoed into a roar and moaned at the rewards. His thrusts were faster, harder, and each directed at my g-spot. I was quickly falling over that magical edge, and I threw my head back as I screamed my mate's name, tightening around him, milking him for all he was worth. With one more lazy thrust, a shout of my name, Edward's hips stilled as he seated himself deep inside me. He came so hard I swore I felt it within me.

We clung to each other, rubbing our cheeks together. And just as our twitches died down, Edward already hardened again, growled, and clenched his hand around my throat. I arched my back as he slowly began to thrust inside me again. My sensitive walls clenched around him, and he moaned with a grin on his face before he opened his eyes and leaned down to press his lips to my throat.

He marked me as I had him, and we stayed in the bathroom for god knows how long before moving to the bed.

Wouldn't want to use up all the water and deprive the others of their own _wet_ fun, would we?

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**Next chapter WILL come in two weeks. I sweary-swear-swear. *Nods***

**Until then, see you later and PLEASE review.**

**bexie25**


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